Roses & Thorns

Roses & Thorns
Showing posts with label hometown romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hometown romance. Show all posts

Sunday, October 4, 2015

The Rebel’s Redemption by Jacquie Biggar



Blurb:

Annie Campbell's predictable and cozy life gets turned on its side when her son's prodigal father returns to town. Then an old enemy shows up, and the outcome will not only place her in danger, but their son as well.

Jared Martin left Tidal Falls a hotheaded youth, and has seen his share of violence in the eight years he's served Uncle Sam. Floundering, bitter, and disillusioned he returns to his hometown to regain his bearings.

Then he finds out he's a father.

When an old enemy follows and causes mayhem in the small town, can Jared overcome the odds to protect the woman he's always loved and the child he never knew, or will it be too late?

About the Author:

Jacquie lives in paradise along the west coast of Canada with her husband, daughter, and grandson. She loves reading, writing, flower gardening and spoiling her German shepherd, Annie and calico cat, Harley.

Jacquie swears she can't function without strong, black coffee.

Review by Rochelle:

As a Navy veteran, I especially appreciate books about my fellow vets, especially those who served in combat. There’s a special camaraderie among people who have served together in harm’s way that carries over into civilian life. I see it every Tuesday and Thursday when I volunteer at the VA. So, I have a soft spot in my heart for these heroes and their stories.

That said, Ms. Biggar and her editor need to spend some time listening to these guys speak. She marred good story with stilted dialog. Here’s a scene from The Rebel’s Redemption in which Jared meets his best friend in a bar. The friend is already quite drunk.

“Hey, I thought you were going to stand me up.” [sic] Ty said as Jared pulled up a chair and swiped some of the bottles on the table off to one side.

There are two major problems with this sentence. First, a man as drunk as Ty would probably slur his words. At the very least he’d say something like “gonna” instead of “going to.” Second, when using a dialog tag, one should end the preceding sentence with a comma, not a period. Overuse of dialog tags is another thing authors need to watch out for. Anytime you can replace a dialog tag with an action, it’s best to do so. With an action, you would use a period at the end of the sentence inside the quotation mark. Had I edited this, I’d have slurred Ty’s speech, got rid of the dialog tag, and replaced it with an action. “Hey,I thought you were gonn’ stan’ me up.” Ty hiccupped as Jared…”

And that’s why my daughter sent me a Facebook photo that said, “I’m mentally editing everything you say to me.”

The Rebel’s Redemption really was a great page-burning story with a strong heroine, compassionate hero, and well-drawn supporting characters. It just needed looser language and a better editor. That’s why I’m giving it four roses.

Heat Rating:  PG-13
Length:  235 Pages
Prices:
Print:  $9.99
Digital:  $3.49
Author Web Site:  http://jacquiebiggar.com

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link. That’s because authors usually receive 40-50% of the net proceeds from the publisher. Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%. When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left. So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40-$2.99. If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $1.70-$2.10.

Download the file from the publisher onto your computer as you would any other file. I’ve created a folder for books on my computer, with subfolders by source (Marketing for Romance Writers, Net Galley, Authors who find me on Kindle lists, etc.). That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Some publishers send books in all digital formats. If my Kindle breaks and my kids buy me a Nook, I won’t have to replace all of my books. If you have a Kindle and your hubby has a Nook, you won’t have to buy separate copies, so buying directly from the publisher can save you money.

Moving the file from your computer to your e-reader is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your e-reader charging chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from the folder into which you’ve downloaded the book to Documents/Books directory on your e-reader. Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting. Donna, Julie, & Rochelle

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Texas Roads (A Miller's Creek Novel Book 1) by Cathy Bryant

 
Blurb:

Dani Davis just wants a place to call home. With lovable-but-quirky town folks, quaint country charm, and loads of business potential, Miller's Creek, Texas seems like the perfect place to start over...except for the cowboy who gives her a ride into town. She secretly finances renovations to the downtown area until malicious rumors and a devastating discovery propel her down a road she never expected to travel.

Steve Miller is determined to rescue his dying hometown. When vandals jeopardize the renovation, he can’t help but suspect Dani, whose strange behavior has become fodder for local gossips. Can Steve and Dani call a truce for a higher cause, and in the process help Dani recognize the true meaning of home?

Donna's Review:

The book started off great. I was really excited at having found a new author, especially one that could construct sentences that didn't hurt my head. However, shortly into it, it began to lag a bit. It did pick up at the end, but in between there were times I could have read or not read.

Still, while an enjoyable read for the most part, I did not like the fact the only real reason Dani and Steve were separated the entire novel was due to more or less a simple misunderstanding(s). Because they each are absorbed in their own issues, they never really confront the other person and, as a result, they never really tackle their relationship . Because of this, the plot is weakened, whereas bringing a couple's issues front and center, and having them deal with them, provides loads of conflict and actually drives the story forward.

This is also a typical Christian novel where one person isn't a Christian and comes to accept Christ as their savior. While not overkill for readers of that genre, those that do not like to read this kind will find it trite (in the sense it's typical of this genre) and irritating near the end.

Four roses for this one for an easy, enjoyable read that is well plotted and sweet but not necessarily memorable.

Length:  311 pages
Prices:
Paperback:  $11.69
Digital:  $0.99

Thanks for visiting:  Julie, Donna & Rochelle